Overview

• At the 71st National Film Awards, Shah Rukh Khan shared the Best Actor prize with Vikrant Massey for Jawan and 12th Fail, marking Khan’s first government-sponsored accolade in 33 years.
• In a video message, Khan thanked his family and fans, and peers including Imtiaz Ali congratulated him on a national honour they called a landmark recognition.
• Veteran actor Mukesh Khanna defended the jury’s choice by likening its timing to A.R. Rahman’s Oscar for “Jai Ho” and highlighting Khan’s 40 years of dedication.
• Producer Viveck Vaswani hailed Jawan as a timely, relevant performance and vouched for jury chair Ashutosh Gowariker’s ethical stewardship of the selection process.
• South Indian actress Urvashi questioned the fairness of the jury’s criteria, seeking clarity on why other leading performances were overlooked.